Door lock



J. H. ROETHEL.

DOOR LOCK Filed OCT.. 26, 1945 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 if 77 Vf W gs :i E- E "il +LE digi? INVENTOR..

May 15, 1951 J. H. ROETHEL 2,552,815

DooR Loox Filed oct. 2e, 1945 s sheets-sheet 2 6 En. M-Swih May 15 1951 J. H. Ror-:THEL 2,552,815

DOOR LOCK Filed Oct. 26, 1945 3 SheetS--Sheerl 5 JNVENTOR.

Patented May 15, '17951 DOOR LOCK John H. Roethel, Detroit, Mich., assignor to Rocthel Engineering Corporation,

Detroit,

Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application October 26, 1945, Serial No. 624,807

4 Claims. 1 This invention relates to latch mechanism for swinging doors and particularly, although not exclusively, to latch mechanism which is especially adapted to be used in connection with the doors of vehicle bodies, such as automobile bodies.

An object of the invention is to provide a door latch which combines in relatively simple and compact form such desirable features as quietness of operation when closing the door, simplicity and compactness in construction, operational efficiency and economy in manufacture.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved door latch embodying a latch bolt extending longitudinally at the free edge of the door and shiftable bodily in a generally Vertical or up and down direction by a rotative motion both when closing and opening the door, means being provided for locking or holding the bolt preferably in a plurality of positions and additional means of an improved, relatively simple and efficient character being provided for releasing the bolt locking means to permit the door to be opened.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved latch device having a bolt mounted eccentrically upon a rotatable member and movable up and down bodily during operation, said member being locked or held in one or more bolt locking positions by means of a detent or dog mounted and controlled in improved manner.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide a simplified and improved remote control mechanism for disengaging the bolt locking elements when it is desired to open the door from the inside thereof, said mechanism being characterized by the provision of a flexible cable as the operating medium between the remote manually operable means on the door and the operating device forl effecting disengagement of the bolt locking elements. By virtue of these improvements in the remote control mechanism it is possible to simplify the construction by the elimination of parts, such as links and levers, to reduce appreciably frictional resistance to the operation or" the remote control mechanism, to render the mechanism more compact and capable of being manufactured at relatively low cost, and to permit the remote manually operable means, such as the inner door handle, to be positioned at any desired location on the inside of the door without requiring any change in the mechanism other than a simple change in the length of the cable.

Other objects of this invention will appear in the following description and appended claims.

reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specication wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several views.

Fig. l is a fragmentary side elevation of a portion of an automobile body provided with a swinging front door upon which a latch device made in accordance With the present invention is installed.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged horizontal section taken substantially through lines 2-2 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken substantially through lines 3 3 of Fig. 2 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary side elevation illustrating the inside locking mechanism for the bolt carrying member.

Fig. 5 is a view in part similar to Fig. 3 illustrating the safety locking position of the latch bolt mechanism.

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 illustrating the position of the latch mechanism when the door is unlocked and open.

Fig. 7 is a section taken substantially through lines 1--1 of Fig. 3 looking in the direction of th arrows.

Fig. 8 is a vertical section taken substantially through lines 8 8 of Fig, 2 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 9 is aplan View taken from lines 9--9 of Fig. 8 looking in the direction of the arrows, this View illustrating one embodiment of remote control mechanism included in Fig. 8.

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary side elevation of another embodiment of remote control mechanism.

Fig. ll is a section taken substantially through lines Il--Il of Fig. 10 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 12 is a vertical section taken substantially through lines I2-l2 of Fig. 8 looking in the direction of the arrows, this View particularly illustrating the striker device and roller guide cooperable therewith and showing the bolt in fully latched position.

Fig. 13 is a View similar to Fig. 12 illustrating the bolt in its safety locking position.

Before explaining in detail the present invention it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings, since the invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also it is to be understood that the plhraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation.

In the drawings there is illustrated, by way of example, certain embodiments of the present invention as applied to :a door and door frame structure, such as that of an automobile body. As illustrated in Fig. l, the automobile body, designated generally at A, is provided with a front door B which is hinged at its front edge so as to swing against a door post or body pillar C in accordance with conventional practice. The door comprises an outer metal door panel 2i* and an inner metal door panel 2l, see Fig. 2. The panel 2l terminates in a transverse jam edge or portion 22 facing the fixed jam face or edge 23 of the. door frame post or body pillar C.

`Secured. by means of screws 24 to the inner side of the jam portion 22 of the door is a case plate 25 having a flange 26 engaging the inner side of the inner door panel 2 l. Mounted on the case plate 25 is :a bolt carrying plate or member 21 which is rotatable upon a pivot or stud Z8 in the form of a shoulder rivet secured to the case plate. Rigidly fastened Vto the plate member 21 at a point spaced from the pivotal axis 23 thereof is a cylindrical latch bolt 23. This bolt is carried by the plate 21 eccentrically thereof and projects outwardly in a longitudinal horizontal direction through an arcuate slot 3E! in the case plate and also through a similar and registering arcuate slot in the jamb face 22 of the door. These slots are covered and closed by the plate 21 when the door is open, as shown in Fig. 6. The bolt carrying plate 21 is formed on its periphery at the inner side of the pivot 28 with outwardly inclined curved :abutments 3l and y32 terminating in curved detent or dog engaging shoulders or surfaces, the abutment 3l forming the safety v arm 34 is riveted at 35 at an inter-mediate point to one arm 36 of a bell crank lever which is pivoted to swing up and down about a pivot stud or shoulder rivet 31 secured to the case plate 25. It will be noted that the bolt carrying plate 21, as viewed in Figs. 3, and 6, is rotatable in a counter-clockwise direction when the bolt moves from the unlatched position shown in Fig. 6 to the latching position shown in Figs. 3 and 5. The bell crank lever `36 to which the detent arm 3d is rigidly attached is, therefore, pivoted at 31 below the bolt carrying plate 2l, and the upper end of the detent arm 3d terminates in :a dog or detent portion 34a engageable successively with the abutments 3l and 32 when the door is closed.

, The surface of the engaging portion. 34a of the detent arm is .arcuate and is formed on a radius having its center on the pivotal axis of the lever 36 formed bythe pivotv stud 31. This construction enables the contacting portion 34a of the detent arm to swing freely into and out of position below the abutments 3l and 32, the surfaces thereof being preferably curved so as to conform to the curvature of the surface 34a.

The bell crank lever .36 is formed integrally "with a relatively long upwardly extending lever arm 38 positioned at the outer side of the pivot 28 of the bolt carrying plate Z1, this lever :arm being of the desired length to furnish the necessary leverage in disengaging the detent arm and plate 21 when opening the door. The upper end of the lever arm 36 is offset rearwardly from the upper end of the detent arm 34 and the plate 21, and this upper end of the lever arm 35 is rigidly tied transversely to the upper portion of the lever arm 38 by means of a brace or tie bar 39 Vwhich is also spaced from the bolt carrying plate .21 so as not to interfere with the operation thereof. The parts 36, 38 and 39 are preferably integral with one another and formed from a singlel stamping,

The bolt carrying plate 21 is constantly urged toward bolt unlatching position shown in Fig. 6 and the detent arm 313 carried by the bell crank lever 35, 38 is constantly urged toward the plate 2l by means of a common main spring dil.. This spring in the present instance has a plurality of intermediate coils terminating at one end in an outward extension #lila anchored at :il tothe lever arm 3S adjacent the upper end thereof. The main spring l also terminates at its opposite end in 'an upward extension lib anchored at `L12 to the plate 21 at a point above the pivot 23 thereof. The spring 49 is installed under'predetermined load or tension so as to exert constant rotative effort on the bolt carrying plate 21 and the bell crank lever 3E, 38. It will be seen that' by mounting and connecting the main spring as shown the spring will resist inward movement of the lever arm 33 and will also resist rotative motion of the bolt carrying plate 21 in a counter-clockwise direction. Thus, the spring at all times exerts an eiort outwardly on the lever arm 33 tending to impart swinging movement of the detent arm 3Q in a counter-clockwise direction toward the plate 21 and about the pivot axis 31. Also it will be understood that the spring li'i constantly exerts an effort tending to rotate the plate 2'1'in a clockwise direction toward bolt unlatching position. By virtue of the foregoing construction it will, therefore, be seen that a single spring means may be utilized to control the bolt carrying plate 21 and the detent lever 36, 38, this spring providing ,a direct connection between these parts.

The lever arm 38 projects upwardly at the outer side of the pivot 28 well above the working portion 34a of the detent arm and' is provided with a longitudinal offset portion 38a providing an enlarged or widened surface disposed for engagement by a plunger manually shiftable by any suitable means such as a push button operable from the outside of the door.

In accordance with the present invention improved remote control mechanism is provided for swinging the lever arm 3-8 inwardly in order to disengage the detent arm 34 and bolt carrying plate 21, such remote control mechanism including manually operable means, such as a door handle or push button device, located at a remote point on the inside of the door. The remote control mechanism of the illustrated embodiment of the invention comprises a steel cable 43 rigidly secured at its inner end to a connector element lili pivoted to a pin or stud l5 fastened to the upper end of the lever arm 38. From this point the cable extends transversely toward the inner side 26 of the case plate and passes ,around a small pulley or grooved roll-er i6 interposed between the biiurcated endsV of a yoke 41 secured to the case plate flange 23 and journalled on a vertical pin 48 carried by the yoke. The course of the cable 43 is changed by passing it around the pulley 46 and from this point the cable extends longitudinally and rearwardly along the inner side of the case plate and the inner door panel 2|. The lengthof the cable and the distance to which it extends rearwardly along the inner face of the inner door panel is governed by the pre-selected location of the remote control handle or other manually operable means on the inside of the door, and hence it will .be readily seen that the inner door handle or other manually operable means may be located at any desired distance from the edge of the door, and the vertical position thereof may be changed as desired, without necessitating any change in the construction of the latch mechanism other than a simple change in the length of the cable.

Referring to the embodiment illustrated in Figs. l and the remote end of the cable 43 extends freely through an aperture in a flange 49a of a lever arm 49. The terminal end of the cable is anchored within a hole in a threaded stud 50. A spring retainer is mounted on this stud, and interposed between this retainer and the flange 49a is a light compression spring 52. The retainer 5| is held in adjusted position upon the stud 50 by means of lock nuts 53. The spring 52, which is materially lighter or weaker than the main spring 4|), serves as a means for taking up slack in the cable 43 when the lever arm 38 is swung inwardly by operation of the outer door handle. This take-up spring 52, therefore, maintains the cable taut at all times. The lever 49 is secured to the shaft 54 of the inner door handle 55, this shaft being journalled in a bracket plate 56 fastened to the inner door panel. When the handle 55 is turned in a counter-clockwise direction as viewed from Fig. 10, the lever arm 49 will initially compress the spring 52 to a solid height and thereupon will shift the cable 43 causing it to swing the lever arm 38 inwardly. Turning of the handle 55 in this manner is resisted by a leaf spring 51 which has a V-shaped portion riding within an arcuate notch on the upper end of the lever 49, the terminal end portion of the spring being engaged by an abutment 58 on the lever. Thus, the spring 51 will assist in returning the handle 55 to its normal vertical position.

The remote control mechanism in the embodiment of Figs. 8 and 9 is constructed particularly for use in connection with manually operable means of the push button type mounted on the inner side of the door. The remote end of the cable 43 in this embodiment is rigidly clamped between the slotted or split ends 59 of a lever 60 pivoted to swing horizontally on a vertical stud or shoulder rivet 6| secured to the projecting flange 62a of an angle bracket 62 fastened to the inner door panel. The cable 43 adjacent its terminal clamped end passes over a grooved curved surface 66D on the lever 60, and the outer end of the lever 66a. is positioned for engagement by a shiftable plunger or push button element of any conventional type.

The inner side of the lever 6D is engaged by one end of a cable take-up spring 63 which is formed with several intermediate coils through which extends a stud 64 riveted to the flange 62a, the opposite end of the spring being anchored at 65 to the flange. This spring is installedunder tension and is adapted to exert effort on the end of the lever 60 so as to turn the same in a counterclockwise direction, see Fig. 9, so as to take up the slack in the cable 43 when the lever arm 38 is swung inwardly by Operation of the outside door handle to disengage the bolt carrying plate 22. The take-up spring 63 in this respect functions in the same manner as the take-up spring 52 in the embodiment of Figs. 10 and 11.

Thus, by pushing the end 66a of the lever outwardly to swing it about its pivot 6| the terminal end of the cable 43 will be forced in the opposite direction inwardly by the movement of the end 59 of the lever, thereby exerting a pull on the cable causing it to swing the lever arm 33 inwardly to disengage the detent arm 34| and bolt carrying plate 21. It will, therefore, be understood that by swinging the lever arm 33 inwardly either through operation of the plunger |||l or by exerting a pull on the cable 43 either through the remote manually operable mechanism of Figs. 10 and 11 or Figs. 8 and 9, the bell crank lever 36, 38 and the detent arm 34 rigid therewith will be rocked in a clockwise direction about the pivot 31, thus forcing the detent portion 34a out of abutting relation with either the safety locking step 3| or the nal locking step 32 on the bolt carrying plate 21.

In accordance with the present invention additional means is provided for locking the bolt carrying plate 21 in the position shown in Fig. 3 when this plate as well as the latch bolt 29 has been moved to the final locking position with the detent or dog portion 34a in engagement with the abutment er nal locking step 32. This additional locking means comprises a locking lever 56 pivoted at |31 to the case plate flange 26 at the inner side of the bolt carrying plate 2l'. The lever is embossed at 65a to provide a widened portion having an upper contacting face 53h adapted to engage beneath the safety locking step or abutment 3| when the bolt is in final locking position. The lever 66 may be guided in its swinging motion about its fulcrum 61 by means of an arcuate slot 63 in the lever through which extends a guide pin or stud 63 secured to the case plate. Pivoted at 10 to the lever is a vertically extending rod or plunger 1li adapted to project through the garnish molding at the lower edge of the window opening and carrying a knob or button 12 at its upper end, as shown in Fig. 1. The knob 12 is accessible at the inner side of the window glass of the door, and when pulled up will shift the plunger 1| upwardly to swing the lever to the position shown in Fig. 4, thereby shifting the locking projection 63a beneath the safety locking step 3|, thus locking the bolt carrying plate 21. lt will also be noted that when the locking projection 65a is thus moved to locking position it will lie in abutting relation, or substantially so, to the upper end of the lever arm 36 at the locality of its juncture with the tie bar 39. By virtue of this construction the locking projection 66a, which is supe ported against the face of the case plate, will not only block inward movement of the lever arm 38, if an attempt is made to unlock the door by operation of the outside door handle, but will also block rotative movement of the bolt carry ing plate 21 toward unlatching position. It will be noted that when the latch plate 21 is in unlatched position, as shown in Fig. 6, a portion of the plate will be in the path of the blocking projection 631i and. will prevent movement of the same into the position shown in Fig. 3. Since the tie bar 3S spans the end portions of the lever arms 36 and 38, it forms a reinforcing brace preventing buckling or bending of the lever arm 33 in the event excessive inward pressure or force i7 is. applied through the outside door handle to the upper end of the lever arm.

When the knob. 12 and rod 'H are shifted .downwardly from the. position of Fig. 4,. the lever 'S6 will be .turned in va clockwise. direction thereby shifting the locking .projection 65a away from abutting relation to the lever arm 3.6' and .the vsafety locking step 3l, thus freeing. the .detent lever and bolt carrying plate so that .they may bc disengaged by operation. of the outside dooi1 handle. It .will be understood, ofcourse, that when the locking Vprojection 65a is in blocking position shown in Fig. 3i, the. inside .door handle or manuallyoperable means may not be actuated to swing the lever yarm S381Y inwardly through the medium of the cable 43. If an attempt is made, however, to. actuate the inside handle 55 or lever 60 when the locking projection 66a is in the position of Fig. 3, excessive strain on the cable 43 is obviatedby the fact that some lost motion is permitted due to the take up springs 52 and E3.

The inside locking lever 66 is yieldingly controlled by means of a spring i3 having one or more intermediate coils terminating in arms lll and I5 anchored at their ends l5 and l?, respectively, to the case plate flange 26 and the lever 66. This spring will yieldingly hold the lever '8S in either its vlocking or unlocking positions.

Improved means is provided for turning the lever 66 into and out of locking position by means of a key from the outside of the door. Such means is ordinarily incorporated in one or both of the front door loc'ks but may he omitted in connection with the rear door locks of the Vehicle. The 'lever 66 is formed with a depending crank extension 'I8 to which is pivoted at "I9 within a lost motion slot 8l] in the extension the upper end of a crank arm 8l secured to a shaft or stud 82 journalled in a bracket in the case plate and having a square opening or socket to receive a key actuated shaft 83. The shaft is connected to the cylinder mechanism of any conventional lock having the usual key control. By turning the key in the lock in the outside of the door the crank arm 8| may be swung to the left in Fig. 4 thereby swinging the lever 5.6 to unlocked position. Reverse turning of the key will swing the lever 66 and move the locking projection 66a into blocking position with respect to the bolt carrying plate 21 as shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

It will be seen that the latch bolt 29 is movable between unlatching and latching positions in an arcuate path as dened by the arcuate slot -30 is the case plate. The bolt is actuated when the door is closed by means of a striker device which is preferably mounted in an offset or recess portion on the jam-b edge 23 of the body pillar or xed upright member of the door frame. In the present instance the striker device comprises a die casting 84 adapted to be secured to the jamb edge of the pillar by screws 85. The striker member 84 is formed with an inwardly and upwardly extending slot or guideway 86 which in the present instance has straight parallel sides 86a and 86h, the lower side or face 85a of the guideway being longer than the upper side or face 88h. The width of the guideway, i. e. the distance between the sides 86a and 8th, approximates the diameter of the bolt 29 so as to permit the latter to move freely through the guideway 85. The -upper side or bolt contacting face 86h is formed in partnear the upper end of the guideway by a take-up slide 8l shiftable within a slot 88 in the striker member and guided for: rectilinear motion on` a. xed; guide. pin B9 passing freely'through the slide and yancllQled at opposite ends' within holes' in Vtheistriker member at.. Theslidel is recessed; to receive a compression spring 90 which bottoms against 'thev .bottom of the recess at one end'and against the :upper ,end of the recess 88 at is opposite end.

The springs!) constantly exerts an effort Qn the slid-e 8.1; .tending to force it to its lowermost Dosi'- tion shown in Fig. 13.. When, however, the bolt 29 ridesy upY into zthe guideway 8B, upon closing the door; the `boltwill engage the tapered surface lilla of the slide and will f orcethe slide'upwardly againstv the action of thespring ,9.6, asY shown in Fig. 12.

Secured. to the jamb edge of the door and projecting outwardly and longitudinally thereof is Va horizontally extending cylindrical stud 9i upon which is revolubly mounted a steel roller in the form of a sleeve 92. As shown in Fig. 8, this sleeve roller is counterbored at its outer end to receive the annular head .Sla of a fixed stud 9|, thus providing means for anchoring 4the sleeve roller 92 on the stud while permitting free rotation thereof. The roller 92 is adapted to engage and roll over the upper face 93 of the striker casing or body 84 during .closing movement of the door. The cooperation of the roller and the striker casing ensures proper closing movement of the door, causing the bolt to enter properly the lower end of the guideway 8E yand also providing a positive means for holding the door against downward movement as a result of vibrations incident to the operation of the vehicle. Thus, when the bolt -29 and roller 92 are in their respective positions shown in Fig. 12, the door will be held against vertical movement by the cooperative action of the bolt and roller on the striker casing or member 84. The striker casing will be clamped rigidly between the bolt and roller, and in the event any play should occur, after closing the door, which might tend to vibrate the roller against the upper surface 93', the Wedge slide 81 will be constantly urged downwardly under the action of its spring so as to tighten itself'against the bolt by wedging action and thus take up any play and hold the bolt and roller in positive clamping engagement with the striker body. This construction provides a very quiet closing door and also Vpermits the bolt to occupy slightly different vertical positions, when the bolt is home, thereby compensating for variations or tolerances. The roller 92 is particularly advantageous not only in providing an easy closing action of the door by the elimination of frictional resistance but also in permitting easy opening movement of the door enabling the main spring to assist in moving the bolt out of'theguideway 86 when the bolt carrying plate is released. No appreciable Yfrictional resistance tothe opening of the door Voccurs since the roller 92 will roll freely over the surface 93 when the door is pulled open.

Although I prefer to use yieldable take-up f' .means 'for the remote control cable 43 vto eli-minate slack during the interval when-the door is unlocked from the outside, yet it will be understood that such take-up means may be dispensed with where additional economies in manufacture are desirable. The existence of momentary slack in the cable during operation of the outer door plunger does not in any way affect or reduce the efficiency of the mechanism. The use of the control cable lends wide flexibility in respect to the -choice of location of the inner remote control handle or other manual release device. For example, if it is desired to raise or lower the inner handle any considerable distance, an additional pulley, similar to pulley 46, may be mounted on the inner door panel in line with pulley 46 but positioned at right angles thereto so as to change the course of the cable and direct it upwards or downwards to the selected point of location of the inner handle. Although the remote control latch release cable 43 is illustrated in connection with a door latch embodying a swinging throw-out lever for a detent or dog coacting with a rotatable bolt carrying plate, it will be understood that in its broader aspects the `re mote control cable may be utilized in connection with various other kinds of door latches for releasing, retracting or disengaging a. shiftable latch or latch bolt or the like from its striker or keeperl I claim:

l. In a door latch, a rotatable latch member having spaced abutments, a detent engageable with one abutment to lock said member in predetermined door latching position, lever means for shifting said detent to release said member, and manually operable means shiftable into blocking position with respect to lanother of said abutments and said Ilever means to restrain operation of both thereof.

2. In a door latch, a rotatable latch member having spaced abutments, a detent engageable with one abutment to lock said member in predetermined door latching position, lever means for shifting said detent to release said member, and manually operable means shiftable into blocking position with respect to another of said abutments and said lever means to restrain operation of both thereof, said latch member having means for preventing movement of said manually operable means into said blocking position when said vlatch member has been rotated to a predetermined position in which said detent is out of engagement with said one abutment.

3. In a door latch, a support, a rotatable latch member having spaced abutments, a detent pivotally mounted on the support and engageable with one abutment to lock said member in predetermined door latching position, lever means for shifting said detent to release said member, remote control means manually operable from the inside of the door for actuating said lever means, and manually operable means shiftable into blocking position with respect to` another of said abutments and said lever means to restrain operation of both thereof.

4. In a door latch, a rotatable latch member having spaced abutments, a detent engageable with one abutment to lock said member in predetermined door latching position, lever means for shifting said detent to release said member, remote control means manually operable from the inside of the door for actuating said lever means, and including iiexible cable means connected to said lever means, and manually operable means shiftable into blocking position with respect to said other abutment and said lever means to restrain operation of both thereof, said exible cable means including spring means to prevent undue stress on said cable means when actuation of the remote control means is attempted With the manually operable means in blocking position.

JOHN H. ROETHEL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

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